RIO

I read this interesting statistic.

366 athletes will compete for Great Britain & Northern Ireland at the 2016 Olympics BBC are sending 455 staff.

How THEY spend YOUR cash.

Bookmark the permalink.

47 Responses to RIO

  1. tarien says:

    Utterly incomprehenisble-sad to say I am not that interested this time around-really this nation Barzil cannot afford these games even with the various broadcasting rights payments. Still just hope that no athlete will contact any nasty virus’s-I wouldn’t go even if it were paid for. What a political nonsense we have heard in respect to the barring of the Russian athlete’s ref Drugs then next allowing a majority of them to take part-whose pulling the strings here?

       26 likes

  2. Sir_Arthur_Strebe-Grebling says:

    The bBBC uses our money to pay for hundreds of staff to go to the Glastonbury drugs festival.

       44 likes

  3. The Highland Rebel says:

    It’s the only time I’ve wished the Zika virus on anyone.

       21 likes

    • peterthegreat says:

      Rebel I think you’ll find any self-respecting mosquito would rather die of hunger before she stooped so low as to drink the poisonous blood of a beeboid. No-one’s that desperate.

         25 likes

    • Some_People_are_Saying... says:

      Well the mosquitoes will have to compete with the seagulls if they want to munch on Claire’s Balding.

         10 likes

  4. tbaskett says:

    Commented deleted.

       10 likes

    • embolden says:

      The difference of course is that only subscribers pay for Skys profligacy.

      Whereas anyone owning a telly has to compulsorily buy a licence to fund the BBC……It`s the law.

         52 likes

    • Andrew Caplan says:

      Do the BBC have to take their own cameramen and technical staff to Rio, or do they tap into what is already there?

      I seriously doubt that every TV station in the world covering the Olympics has its own set of cameras.

         27 likes

      • charmbrights says:

        No – they take the pictures they are given by the IOC. Granted there are a lot of such pictures but the bBBC does NOT have any camera or sound men there to show the actual events. Those are all provided by Olympic Broadcasting Services. The only bBBC camera (etc.) staff are producing pictures of BBC staff in a studio in Rio, or out on the streets.

        Why does the word “jolly” come to mind?

           13 likes

    • Englands Dreaming says:

      I don’t confess to being an expert on these things, but I would have thought there must be some economies of scale re staff numbers the bigger the event. 455 is a massive number.

         14 likes

    • SteveHovis says:

      How tedious. More feeble BBC apologism.

         13 likes

    • engineerdownunder says:

      Well, it would be interesting to compare the Beeb’s 455 staff with what other broadcasters are sending.

      It was let slip the other day that the Beeb had 17 different broadcasters at Dave Camerons last EU meeting. Even the Beeb was embarrassed.

      I get very irritated every time I have to hear Jim McNaughtie filing an inane report from the US on the presidential primaries and election campaign. Beeb already has people there and a North America editor.

      Can’t help feeling the Beeb is a very generous money tree for it’s staff and contributors. As it is paid for by our fees, I would like to see all salaries and expenses published annually.

         31 likes

    • Rufus McDufus says:

      Having several friends (and my wife) who have worked for the BBC, ITV and Sky, I can state from the sources that that is not true.

         2 likes

      • GCooper says:

        True. Ironically for an organisation so devoted to the far Left (or maybe not) the BBC pays and treats its foot soldiers badly.

        The likes of Alan Yentob and Fiona Bruce, on the other hand….

           6 likes

        • Mustapha Sheikup al-Beebi says:

          From the Guardian:

          “The BBC’s Rio Olympics anchor Clare Balding earned more than £500,000 last year, cementing her position as one of the UK’s highest-earning female presenters.

          The sports broadcaster made £516,712 in the year to the end of October 2015.

          According to documents filed at Companies House Balding, who works for the BBC covering events including Wimbledon and BT, receives payments for services as a TV presenter and royalties as an author.

          Her company Clearly Clare shows that shareholders’ funds rose from £1.24m to £1.76m year on year, the difference effectively being the amount she earned during last year.”

             3 likes

    • JohnW says:

      Really? There are over 200 Sky staff at every cricket Test? How is that number broken down – who does what? I’m genuinely interested.

         9 likes

    • Owen Morgan says:

      Well, in case you haven’t noticed, there are only two players in most tennis matches and four at the most. In any cricket match, according to my admittedly misty recollection, there won’t be more than thirteen on the pitch at any one time.

      I think you could cover a tennis or cricket match with something quite a long way south of four hundred and fifty-five people.

         4 likes

  5. DWBuxton says:

    I am fed up with the Olympics already, and I have not seen it yet. Nor do I intend watching. The BBC love it naturally, it is even more corrupt than the Beeb.

       35 likes

    • StewGreen says:

      Yep did you notice the super load trailers now on Radio 5 Live ?

      wonder how much beeb paid for Olympic rights ?

         7 likes

  6. GCooper says:

    What I object to is the whole damn thing. We have lost the entirety of BBC 4 (which hosts almost all of the BBC’s output aimed at viewers with IQs greater than their ages) and much of the evening outputs of BBC 1 and 2, while this over-hyped farce is on.

    My own sense is that the BBC loves the Olympics for broadly political reasons far more than for its relevance to minority sports (about which it plainly couldn’t care less at other times).

       32 likes

    • embolden says:

      Wall to wall Olympics on the BBC?…live your life like it doesn`t exist.

      Switch ——————————————> OFF.

         26 likes

      • GCooper says:

        To which I would make two observations.

        1/ In which case why have a TV at all?

        2/ We are still paying for it.

           16 likes

        • embolden says:

          fair comment GC.

          1/ to watch DVDs and other stuff not on the BBC.

          2/ You got me there. damn.

             12 likes

      • soyelcaminodelfuturo says:

        I am delighted to say that Mrs Soyelcaminodelfuturo and I are leaving on a road trip out of the country tonight. We will return after the farce is over. At no point in this exercise will television be part of our lives. Happy days.

        PS. Marginally pleased that the the anti-English white, male dour Scot was selected over the token black, female, lesbian flag bearer from completing her PC duty offered to her by Bradley sideburns.

           17 likes

      • Dazed and Confused says:

        “Wall to wall Olympics”, because as it’s only held once every four years, it makes no financial sense for SKY, B.T., et al to bid for the rights to them….

        Hence the BBC have Carte Blanche to cover the fortnight however they see fit to do so….Hence, and as with everything else that they do, it becomes a left wing opportunity to score self righteous brownie points from….

           17 likes

    • SteveHovis says:

      “My own sense is that the BBC loves the Olympics for broadly political reasons far more than for its relevance to minority sports (about which it plainly couldn’t care less at other times). ”

      GCooper, not just your sense methinks.

         8 likes

      • johnnythefish says:

        It’s a wonderful demonstration of a future where all nations come together as one and live in peace and multiculti harmony (think Lennon’s ‘Imagine’). Those 455 BBC staff over in Brazil must be in a state of permanent creamed pantedness.

        Tough if you’re an Israeli trying to get on a coach full of Lebanese athletes, though. But as the BBC agenda tells us……the world can do without Israel anyway.

           7 likes

  7. Glenn says:

    It is a fair point about people needed as camera and sound operators. Sport can be very labour intensive.

    My problem is the amount of pundits they will be taking to ask inane questions they could well be asking from a studio in the UK.

       15 likes

    • Flexdream says:

      No, it’s not a fair point. The BBC doesn’t need to separately film events which are already being filmed. You think the world needs hundreds of on site camera guys to each separately film the 100m?
      The comparison with Sky cricket is ludicrous as the world media are not also in attendance.

         9 likes

  8. Some_People_are_Saying... says:

    Now before you start, I’m not a troll. You must remember to mention the Paralympics every time you say Olympics, you can’t go upsetting Frank Gardner, he’s doing the men’s 10 meter pistol event. Again.

       20 likes

  9. embolden says:

    The images we see are produced by Olympic Broadcasting Services, the “host broadcaster” based in Madrid and Lausanne. A wholly owned subsidiary, sorry, agency of the IOC.

    https://www.obs.tv
    https://www.obs.tv/about

    So it would be interesting to know what BBC staff groups are represented among the 455 attending as quoted above.

    As an aside I remember trying to watch the Olympic cycling road race at the 2012 games on telly and listening to the apologies of the BBC commentary team that the footage was difficult to interpret and wasn’t showing some of the interplay between the teams that is so important in team road cycling, they kept emphasising that it wasn’t aunties fault.

    The IOC likes to have full control of its image…..to keep the sponsors happy and prevent any unapproved politics using the games for publicity.

       11 likes

  10. Javed439 says:

    No dought Olympic broadcasting is very good source to see great game and sports. its fastest growing source among the people
    http://www.camestyle.com

       0 likes

  11. Tothepoint says:

    The Al Beeb gravy train rolls into Rio for a wonderful spectical of box ticking. Be prepared to be under Vietnam war levels of bombardment by Al Beebs agenda squad, as operation “fuck you UK!!! You’re going to be beaten to death by our message!!

    The Olympics is to Al Beeb what raping innocent white girls is to ‘followers/cultists of Peacelam… Something they all look forward to getting involved in

       12 likes

  12. AsISeeIt says:

    Rio Olympics

    As we know some events begin even before the official opening ceremony

    Australia take early lead in the muggings table

    http://edition.cnn.com/2016/06/21/americas/australian-paralympian-mugged-gunpoint-brazil/index.html

    http://www.news.com.au/sport/olympics/channel-nine-crew-in-rio-mugging-scare/news-story/415358896b57ccc62fa1c0c4c54c00c3

       11 likes

  13. Chop says:

    The commentators went AMAZINGLY quiet when Israel walked in, at least 10 seconds of silence once the name was mentioned…then began to babble …OFF!!!

       16 likes

  14. Guest Who says:

    Maybe, like Hollande’s issuing a personal Genderame to every beach babe tourist until the loons tire of the stabby stabby event (about two months, apparently, I have learned from sources far away from me), the BBC has assigned a national treasure tail to every true blue athlete? Plus a few subs, of course, in case the lure of men’s beach volley ball is too great.

       7 likes

  15. Guest Who says:

    Trust and transparency. If uniquely exercised.

    https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/bbc_employees_sent_to_olympics_2?

       4 likes

  16. Grant says:

    Difficult to think of anything more pathetic and boring than the Olympics. Thank God for Test Match Cricket !

       7 likes

  17. NCBBC says:

    Rio Olympics 2016: Moroccan boxer Hassan Saada arrested over sex assault claims

    http://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/rio-olympics-2016-moroccan-boxer-hassan-saada-arrested-over-sex-assault-claims-a3313166.html

    The RoP spreading peace, goodwill and love.

       10 likes

    • Kikuchiyo says:

      This kind of story appears in the tabloids every time the BBC covers Glastonbury, the World Cup, and the Olympics.

      I really wish people would engage their brains. Its a very easy story for them…shock horror, BBC sends X number of staff. But how many should be sent? What if the figure was 555, instead of 455 would that be far, far too many? What if it was 355, would that be ok? The problem is that the average lay-person has no idea how many are required. How many does it take? How much coverage is there going to be? Tv, radio, online…I have no idea how many it should take to cover these kinds of events, and I’d suggest few do know. So on what basis can it be said this is profligate??

      Here’s how you might judge it:

      It’s 40% less that the number it employed for London 2012.
      35% below Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games in 2014.
      Less than used to cover the Beijing games.
      One-fifth of the number being sent by US broadcaster NBC.

         5 likes

  18. peterthegreat says:

    At time of writing, Belgium leading the medals table. For what? Highest number of terrorist attacks in a month?

       5 likes

  19. peterthegreat says:

    Beeb: “Opening ceremony of passion and hope.” Indeed, the Russians passionately hope no more of their doped-up competitors get banned.

       8 likes

  20. peterthegreat says:

    Oscar Taking-The-Pistorius slashes his wrists hoping to get out of jail on mental grounds, in time to hop over to Rio and partake in regular Olympics (these blades do not give me an advantage) and the Paralympics (those blades give Oliveira an advantage).

       6 likes

    • The Duck says:

      Probably trying to gain sympathy as the state is currently appealing to have his 6year sentence increased. Can’t imagine too many are very sympathetic towards him.

         5 likes

  21. deegee says:

    I wonder how many of the BBC staff come from non English networks? Do we have a crew whose sole function is to follow the Iranians around?

       1 likes